Path

Since its inception about two years ago, Michelin-selected Path has won the hearts of many with its refined interpretation of East-meets-West cuisine. And the man responsible is Chef Marvas Ng, who made his return to Singapore with over a decade of experience cooking in illustrious kitchens in Hong Kong and Tian Jin, China. 

Dining at Path is a rather transformative culinary experience – one that reconfigures in your mind the shapes and forms that Chinese cuisine can take. But first, ease into a space hugged by soft-coloured lime-washed walls, as well as sleek topographic curves and contours that enhance the alluring ambient light fixtures. The relaxed atmosphere will warm you up for the explorative journey to come.

The grand showcase of all the kitchen’s star dishes is its eight-course expedition menu ($228) – quite the splurge, but it’s one fine dining meal that’s sure to leave you bursting at the seams. Things start with a trio of dainty bites, before the hand-dived sea cucumber and tiger whelk dish is presented. It’s cold-braised in the traditional Teochew method with sake and chicken stock to achieve a sufficiently flavourful yet light sauce that lets the seafood shine. Braised sauces are done exceptionally well here,  thanks to Marvas’ familiarity with the East Asian flavours many of us grew up knowing and loving.

Next, we see Japanese sea bream, quinoa, shallots, and chives artfully wrapped in spinach leaves in Marvas’ famous rendition of chicken rice – without the rice or chicken. Each ingredient represents a key element of our national dish, and the cherry on top goes to the divine sauce that’s scented with pandan oil to replicate the fragrance of chicken rice.

Western elements come into play in this next dish, which is a quintessential bread course with a Shanghainese hairy crab roe and silky beancurd dip, topped with Hokkaido Bafun uni. Crab and beancurd were some of Marvas’ favourites growing up, and call it a coincidence, but there’s good reason why this dish is our favourite in the line-up. Forget the spoon, the crispy French baguette slices are your best tool for mopping up the tasty mix. Opt for the approachable wine pairings (from $88) if you’re up for a drink. The seafood-forward starters come neatly paired with an elegantly crisp Chablis from Daniel-Etienne Defaix.

The journey continues with the Straits Bounty, featuring delicately brined and steamed marble goby that comes swimming in a warm, nourishing consommé infused with dried Balai threadfin fish maw. You’ll find yourself drinking it down to its last drop. And it’s also at this point of the meal that the carbs are rolled out, in a similar order to a typical Chinese banquet. Except in lieu of rice, what you’ll be getting is a rice-like pasta dish of risoni, topped with a whole Jeju abalone and accompanied by umami notes from sakura ebi and roasted seaweed. We just wish the abalone was a tad easier to chew.

To cater to an increasing crowd of diners who prefer a less surfeiting dining experience, the restaurant also has a more modest six-course Voyage dinner menu ($188), as well as a three-course Prelude lunch menu ($68). Folks who prefer ditching the prix fixe format will also be pleased to know that Path is introducing an a la carte menu, where all-time favourites like the Japanese Tai ($38), Shanghainese hairy crab roe ($28), and the Straits Bounty ($30) will be available as individual portions.